


Versus

by Preciadology



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), M/M, anyways i love stan and craig as rivals its my favorite, i tried to do a little parallel moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 14:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16199282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Preciadology/pseuds/Preciadology
Summary: After a long while of being civil with each other, Craig and Stan's rivalry comes back full force.





	Versus

It was a well known fact that Craig wasn’t exactly fond of Stan Marsh.

There were plenty of instances that led to Craig having a negative opinion of him. Like the time Stan and his gang had come up to his house once just to shove it in his face that they had authentic Japanese weapons and Craig and his friends didn’t. Another instance was when all Craig wanted to do was make some money coming up with shows for the school to air but then Stan and his gang went right up ahead and treated it as a competition, ultimately getting Craig’s show cancelled. There went his only source of extra cash.

Their rivalry wasn’t all Stan’s fault though. Admittedly, Craig was pretty prone to being provoked and clapping back when he was being one-upped.

However, it had been a while since Stan had really gotten under his skin. Currently in the 11th grade, Craig could say that they were civil, giving short nods of acknowledgement to each other when they’d see each other around. But it seemed that tonight, Stan was back to being the douchebag Craig always knew he was.

— — —

Craig took a right turn into the parking lot of a bowling alley near South Park. Beside him was his boyfriend in the passenger seat. The entire ride here was filled with Tweek singing along softly to the slow, quiet ballads coming from the car radio. Usually, Craig would sing right along with him. Tweek liked it when he did; he claimed it was comforting. Even if Craig’s nasally voice was less than ideal for singing. Tonight though, Craig didn’t have the heart to sing. He was enjoying listening to Tweek’s high, silky voice far too much. It was beautiful. He never wanted it to stop. But it had to eventually.

With some difficulty, Craig found a parking spot before they exited the car. The air outside was noticeably warmer than it was in South Park. They didn’t usually go out and seek out things to do. As of lately, they’d both been homebodies. They were at a phase in their relationship where dates consisted of them staying indoors, either eating, cuddling, playing video games or showing each other memes on their phones. They were both content with that. But then today, Tweek suggested they go out somewhere for a change. He said that they were growing way too accustomed to lounging around together and a change of scenery, even for one night, would do them good. Craig hesitantly went along with it. He still would have opted to stay in his house and hold Tweek while they nap but Tweek was insistent they go. And who the hell was Craig to deny the cutest puppy dog eyes in existence?

They walked to the bowling alley entrance, hand in hand like always when an idea sparked in Craig’s mind. A sly smile on his face, Craig moved his thumb and ran it lightly over the palm of Tweek’s hand. Tweek laughed, ticklish there and Craig knew it and he knew what was coming.

“ _Craig_ , quit it!” Tweek said, giggly. And then there it was. Tweek shook out of Craig’s grasp and delivered the playful smack to the arm he’d been anticipating. “What gives?!”

Craig shrugged. “Nothing, I just wanted to make you laugh.” That’s why he did everything these days.

Tweek sighed and shook his head, lips curling upward. The apples of his cheeks reached his smiling eyes, making his face look even rounder. Craig leaned down to plant a kiss on him. He just couldn’t help it. And then on they went.

They were greeted with the booming sound of EDM and loud chatter as they made their way over to the counter to rent shoes. The place was pretty full, unsurprisingly. It was a Saturday night after all. Craig could spot only two free lanes right beside each other. They made a stop at the counter to get their bowling shoes and made their way to their chosen lane. Craig was on one knee, helping Tweek tie his shoes when the nicknames Craig had picked out for them flashed on the screen above.

“‘ _Sunshine_?’” Tweek said. Craig let out a breathy chuckle as he finished tying Tweek’s shoes. He looked up and smiled fondly.

“What? I call you that sometimes,” Craig answered.

“And this entire place needs to know that?” Tweek asked in confirmation. Craig knew his boyfriend adored loving gestures, more so when they were done in front of people. Tweek kind of had a thing for Craig being sweet in public.

“Yep,” Craig replied, popping the ‘p.’ Tweek beamed brightly as Craig took a pale hand in his and kissed the back of it gently before he got up and went to put on his own shoes.

The night was going pretty well so far, in Craig’s opinion. He was happy, his boyfriend was all smiles, they were about to have fun and knock some pins over. It’d been a good time so far. What could possibly go wrong?

And that’s when Craig spotted Stan motherfucking Marsh arrive at the lane right next to theirs. Following closely behind him was his girlfriend, Wendy. The smile on Craig’s face almost instantly dropped. Scratch the fact that he thought the night was going to go well. This was going to suck big time. He _knew_ they should’ve stayed home. He _knew_ it.

Craig took a step back and tried to cool down. Okay. There might still be a chance things could go well. Maybe if he and Tweek laid low, Stan and Wendy wouldn’t notice they were here. But given Craig’s tall stature, it wasn’t easy for him to hide at all. He hung his head down, about to go tell Tweek the situation at hand but alas, it was too late. Wendy turned and upon laying eyes on Tweek, she gasped, face lighting up.

“Tweek!” Wendy greeted, walking quickly over to him, short chunky heels tapping on the wooden floor. She leaned down for a hug, the physical contact from a good friend welcome to Tweek.

“Wendy, hey!” Tweek exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her from his seat on the bench. “You’re here too, that’s so weird!”

Wendy pulled away and stood back up, an apologetic look gracing her features. “We haven’t talked in person in so long, I’m so sorry. I’ve just been really busy helping organize the school fundraiser and everything, but you already know that.”

“Oh no, no, it’s fine, I get it!” Tweek reassured.

“Ugh, Tweek, you’re the _best_ ,” Wendy gushed, beaming. “I’m here with Stan ‘cause I told him I could use a break from working. I haven’t been spending much time with him either. But I’ve been trying my hardest to.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you. Craig and I came here since we thought we’d go out of town for a change,” Tweek replied.

“Wha- oh!” Wendy’s eyes widened in realization before turning her head and noticing Craig sitting in the next seat. “Hey, Craig! Didn’t see you there.”

Craig raised his brows in acknowledgement before Wendy spoke to him. “Well...sorry I’m interrupting you guys’ date. I’ll go back over to our lane.”

“Okay,” Craig deadpanned. He’d much rather be alone with Tweek.

She said a short goodbye and made her way back to Stan who, Craig saw, was...looking at him. Looking at him in the exact way he did _not_ want to be looked at tonight. Brows scrunched, eyes squinting slightly. Craig knew that face. He knew it all too well from the countless times he’d seen it before absolute chaos ensued. Stan was going to stir the pot tonight, that’s what that look was. He was going to attempt to compete with him. But no, Craig wasn’t going to have any of that. All he wanted was to have a nice night out with his boyfriend. What he came here for was to bowl, eat crappy nachos and watch Tweek’s ass when he bends down to get new balls from the resurfacing machine. He wasn’t going to let that shithead, Marsh, get to him.

Once his and Tweek’s game began, he forgot all about Stan.

Tweek wasn’t very good at the game, but that didn’t stop Craig from cheering him on during his turns, even when the ball landed in the gutter. At one point, when Tweek managed to hit 8 pins in one turn, Craig rewarded him with a bear hug. He crouched to wrap his arms around his boyfriend and when he straightened his back, Tweek was lifted off his feet, smiling and laughing with his arms around Craig’s neck. It was a good night. It was a really, really good night. It made Craig want to take Tweek out on dates outside of town more often.

Craig had been noticing, however, that Stan kept looking back and forth at their scoreboards. He was sure, 100% sure, that Stan was comparing their numbers. And it only made Craig want to score higher, just to watch him get angry. He stole a glance at Stan’s points. It was a few numbers higher than his. That fucker.

As Craig trailed his eyes back down, he saw Stan glancing back at him. He must have caught him looking. Craig put on his signature expression. Unreadable. Nope. No way. There was no fucking way he was gonna show Stan he was getting to him. Not that he was getting to him. Because he wasn’t! Not at all.

Stan opened his mouth, speaking just loud enough so that Craig could hear him over the music. “Hey, Tucker, what would you say to a little...friendly competition?”

...Fuck that guy. He wasn’t going to do that, not tonight. Tonight was about him and Tweek and he wasn’t going to let some asshole ruin it. “No thanks.”

“Oh, yeah? Too much of a pussy?” Stan mocked. And like, that’s the kind of shit that drives Craig up the fucking wall. That shit eating grin infuriated him to no end. There was nothing more he wanted now than to beat this guy and wipe it off his smug face. He was only up by like, what? 2 points? There was no reason for him to be that cocky. Craig could beat him in a heartbeat. He’d show him. It’d be so easy. But he didn’t want to make Tweek feel left out. So he thought of a compromise.

“You know what? Fine. But it has to be me and Tweek against you and Wendy.”.

“Wendy and I are gonna kick you guys’ asses!” Stan exclaimed.

“Stan, I really don’t wanna deal with another one of your petty competitions with Craig. I came here so we could spend time together,” Wendy said, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.

“We _are_ spending time together!”

Wendy sighed, like she was too tired to argue. “Whatever. Fine.”

“She doesn’t seem into it, Marsh. Maybe you should just forfeit,” Craig snarked.

He watched as Stan’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong, Tucker? Know you’re gonna lose so you’re making yourself feel better by being a smartass?”

“Why don’t you put your bowling skills where your mouth is?”

“Oh, it’s fucking on.”

They didn’t say much while the actual game was taking place. If Stan did, Craig didn’t hear it. Blocking out Stan only allowed him to focus more on improving his shots with every turn. Running his mouth wasn’t going to win this game and Craig knew that. It took action.

Tweek, he noticed, didn’t really care much about it all. It was obvious that when it was his turn, he just wanted to get it over with. He only rolled the ball down onto the lane with minimal effort and then turned back around, not even bothering to look at how many pins he knocked down. He was chatting with Wendy in between turns, enjoying talking to her more than playing the game which was very obviously between Stan and Craig. Clearly, Tweek wanted to catch up with his friend and Craig didn’t want to stop him from that.

“You know, can stop playing if you want to, babe. I can take both of our turns,” Craig said after Tweek had taken one of his turns and sat back down beside Wendy.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks, Craig!” Tweek said, flashing him a quick grin before carrying on with Wendy.

Hearing the exchange, Stan complained. “Hey, that’s not fair! If you’re gonna play it like that, I’ll take Wendy’s turn too! That alright, Wends?”

“Huh? Yeah, whatever,” Wendy said passively.

Now that they were the only two playing, Craig felt even more determined to come out on top. He analyzed how he tended to roll and used it to his advantage. His ball seemed to always lean to the left when he rolled it, probably because of the angle his arm was in. Because of this, he stood more to the right to balance it out so his probability of hitting the middle pin would increase. It was working for him, but according to the scoreboard, he and Stan were pretty much neck and neck. At least until their very last turns. At the end of their game, it ended up that Stan hit just one more pin than him.

“Ha In your fucking face, Tucker!” Stan exclaimed, looking way more proud of himself than he should be.

“Shut the fuck up; you won by _one point_. Quit acting like it was a landslide win,” Craig seethed, brows furrowed in anger.

“You’re just bitter because I got a strike,” Stan claimed proudly.

“I got one too, dumbass,” Craig bit back.

“Yeah, but mine was way cooler; my ball knocked all of them down in like an instant! Your last pin barely even went down!” Stan bragged.

‘ _So fucking what?_ ’ Craig thought. A strike was still a strike no matter how it happened! He was just clamouring for things to say he was better at. Not that Craig believed he was better than him at anything to begin with. In no way did that game prove Stan was better at bowling. Absolutely not. In fact, he was gonna go set up another game right no-

“As fun as this has been, Craig, I kind of wanna go home now,” Tweek said, slipping his fingers between Craig’s. Craig could feel the rage drain away from him almost instantly at the contact. If Tweek wanted to go home, then that’s what they were going to do. No matter how much he was itching to play another game to prove his superior skills.

Craig turned to look at his boyfriend, an extremely welcome sight for the sore eyes he had from looking at Marsh’s fucking face. “Okay, babe. Lets go. I don’t want you back too late.”

— — —

They were driving back to South Park; not many other cars in the road but theirs. Craig guessed that was one of the perks of living in the middle of nowhere. There was never really any traffic. And yet, Craig was still furious. The memory of Stan being all arrogant for beating him by one point was still in the back of his mind.

“Babe, why is Marsh such a fucking dick?” Craig asked Tweek, glancing at him in the passenger seat.

Craig thought his boyfriend was so cute with his tongue poking out from his mouth in focus as he stared at his phone. His thumbs were tapping rapidly on his screen, bright blue, yellow and pink lights illuminating his determined face. He was playing one of those addictive repetitive games he had downloaded. Craig had shown Tweek one he played a couple months ago and Tweek ended up taking a great liking to it. Ever since then, Tweek had installed multiple games similar to it. He said he liked them because they allowed him to zone out and avoid overthinking about his problems. That, and he was really good at them. If there were a major league gaming category for these types of games, there was a chance Tweek could finally leave the coffee shop and earn a living playing instead.

“Hey, you don’t have to be butthurt just ‘cause he got more points than you,” Tweek mused.

“I thought you’d be on my side!” Craig said, feigning hurt.

“I am! You’re a winner to _me_. You’re the one who’s dating me, after all,” Tweek joked, but it wasn’t funny to Craig. It was true.

Pride swelled in his chest as he remembered how long Tweek has come with his confidence. He used to be this insecure little thing, scared of not being enough and constantly underestimating himself. As the years went by, he eventually pulled himself away from that mindset. He still had his moments, of course. He still doubted himself from time to time, still had his little ticks. But he was a far cry from the shaky, twitching kid he used to be. And Tweek worked on that all by himself. Well, with a little help from Craig. But Craig liked to think he didn’t do anything, really. All he ever did was love him.

“Thanks, honey,” Craig said, smile genuine. “What were yo-”

Tweek held up a hand. “Wait! Don’t say anything, I’m about to beat my high score!”

Chuckling, Craig waited for his boyfriend to finish the game. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long; soon after, he heard the click of a screenshot coming from Tweek’s phone. “I beat it! I’m sending this to Clyde, he won’t believe it! A-anyway, what did you wanna say?”

Tweek put his phone away and looked at him, lips wet from where his tongue stuck out when he was still playing his game. Craig wanted to kiss him so bad. But Tweek always told him to keep his eyes on the road when he was driving, to which Craig would usually respond that it was difficult to when Tweek was beside him. Craig carried on with his question. “What were you and Wendy talking about?”

“Oh! A lot of things! What she’s doing with the fundraiser, some new instruments I want to learn, we planned to catch a movie sometime, she told me she wanted to volunteer somewhere this summer,” Tweek recalled, ticking off the conversation topics with his fingers. “A-and we talked about Valentine’s Day next week! She told me they were going somewhere big, but she wouldn’t tell me where because it was a surprise for Stan and she didn’t want the information leaking.”

...So. That fucker was going somewhere real nice on Valentine’s Day, huh? Of course, _Wendy_ had to be the one to plan it. Stan didn’t give a rat’s ass about his girlfriend. Truth be told, Craig felt kind of bad for her.

Anyway, Valentine’s Day.

Craig and Tweek had never really been very extravagant with their Valentine’s Days. They liked to watch Disney movies with a warm blanket around their shoulders, and Craig would try to catch the popcorn Tweek would aim at his mouth. The next day, they’d buy all the chocolate put up on sale and together, they’d bake it into whatever Tweek was feeling. Cookies, cheesecakes, eclairs. It was perfect every year. But maybe this time, Craig would try actually taking Tweek somewhere. Somewhere romantic and expensive. Somewhere big. Totally better than whatever the fuck Stan will be doing, for sure.

— — —

“ _Gah_ , this is so fancy!” Tweek exclaimed, looking around. They were seated at their table at one of the most expensive restaurants in Denver. It was incredibly difficult to get a reservation. Luckily, Craig’s dad happened to go to high school with the manager so they were able to call in a favor with him to get Craig in. On a day as busy as Valentine’s and on such short notice, it was a miracle Craig was here right now.

The place was packed, only 2 empty tables that he could see, including one right beside theirs. Both tabletops had cards that said ‘reserved’ in foiled gold letters. Craig couldn’t say he’d ever been in a place like this. There were tall windows around the extravagant room that presented a view of the glittering skyline and grand chandeliers that hung from the white marble ceiling. Spending big bucks on getting to eat here with Tweek was going to be worth it.

This place was definitely leagues above wherever Stan was with Wendy. Stan had been pissing him off all week at school about the whole bowling situation and how Craig was “all talk.” He couldn’t wait to post pictures of this date on Instagram for him to see. That ought to shut him up and knock him off his high horse.

Craig stared shamelessly at his boyfriend who was dressed impeccably in a nice white button down with a black unbuttoned coat over it. He choked and almost swallowed his mint whole when he saw how Tweek was dressed when he went to go pick him up. It’d been a while since he last saw him in formal wear. Craig almost forgot just how good he looked in it.

“ _Gh_ , oh god, I-I feel kind of out of place,” Tweek said sheepishly.

Craig placed his hand on top of Tweek’s on the table. “Of course you’re out of place, honey. You’re way better looking than every single person in this room." A pause. "Come to think of it, that just means you’re out of place in _every_ room.”

Tweek let out the cutest little giggle ever to which Craig allowed himself a wide, goofy grin. He was well aware of how cheesy they both were. Jimmy in particular made it a point to remind them all the time. However, around their friends, it was mostly Tweek being sickeningly sweet. And in turn, when it was just the two of them, it was Craig who always made Tweek blush and smile and laugh. Craig especially loved making him laugh. Of the 17 years he’d been alive, he still hadn’t found anything that topped the feeling of it. It was beautiful. Tweek’s laugh was bright and bubbly and it made Craig’s heart soar. There was nothing in the world like it.

Tweek opened his mouth to say something back but then, his green eyes shifted to something over Craig’s shoulder. He let out a small gasp.

“Craig, look. Your favorite person just walked in!” Tweek pointed out.

“What? You’re right here,” Craig said, wanting to make him laugh again. But all he got was Tweek sticking his tongue out playfully, which Craig chuckled at.

“I meant Stan!” Tweek said. The smile on Craig’s face wore off.

“...Oh, fuck.” Craig looked behind him and lo and behold, there was Stan motherfucking Marsh with his girlfriend, just entering the restaurant. Neither of them looked too happy. Probably just fresh out of another one of their arguments they were infamous for having. A server spoke to Wendy briefly before they were following him to their seat which hopefully, wasn’t in the empty table beside them. _Please_ , no. If there was any god out there at all - Jesus, Buddha, Allah- whoever the fuck, they wouldn’t let Stan sit next to them. But then Stan and Wendy were getting closer and closer to the very spot Craig hoped they wouldn’t go.

He guessed there wasn’t a god after all.

“Oh, hey, Tweek and Craig! You guys are here too!” Wendy greeted, immediately putting on a happy face as soon as she caught sight of them. She pulled back the cushiony red velvet dining chair so she could sit on it. Her boyfriend didn’t even pull the seat back for her. Tickle Craig surprised that Stan wasn’t taking little opportunities like that to act like a half decent boyfriend.

“That’s cool! First the bowling alley last week, now this!” Tweek said, shooting a quick knowing glance at Craig, who was locking eyes with Stan. You could cut the tension with a knife.

“...So Marsh,” Craig said stiffly. “How did you manage to get in here?”

“Wendy called in for a reservation months ago,” Stan said matter-of-factly. “Who let _you_ come in here looking like _that_?”

Before Craig could even feel his temper rise, Tweek came to his defense. “Hey! I think Craig looks really cute tonight.”

“Thanks, babe,” Craig said, turning to his boyfriend with smiling eyes. His voice went soft like it always did with Tweek. He squeezed Tweek’s hand, earning a squeeze back.

They looked through the menu in silence while Stan and Wendy had their own conversation over at their table. Because of how close their tables were, Craig could hear what they were saying. Both of them sounded tense. Not very happy at all. But he chose to ignore them in favor of focusing on his own date. He had his perfect, wonderful boyfriend right in front of him. He wasn’t going to waste any energy listening in on the sinking of Stan’s stale relationship.

Craig scanned the menu, full of words he couldn’t pronounce, some in a language he didn’t know. Craig estimated that with the money he had saved up now, he could afford any two entrees for both him and Tweek and maybe even a dessert they could share. A waiter came to their table to take their order shortly after Stan and Wendy’s waiter arrived at theirs.

“Good evening, what would you like to have tonight?”

“Hi, I’ll have a, uh...an Alaskan Ha...um...an, uh...” Craig stumbled. Eventually, he was able to get the dish’s name out, clearly saying it wrong. But only since he was exaggerating butchering the pronunciation because he knew it would make Tweek laugh. And he got his wish. Hearing Tweek’s stifled little giggle lifted his mood considerably.

“An Alaskan Halibut, yes,” the waiter nodded, scribbling on his notepad.

Out of the corner of his eye, Craig saw Stan steal a glance at him, obviously listening in. What the fuck was with that asshole? He saw him flip through his menu, eyes scanning for something, before he told his waiter, “Yeah, I’ll have the Seared Sea Scallop.”

And then- and then- there it was. That shit eating grin. Fuck that grin. That smug, idiotic looking ass grin. Craig stared back, grimacing, before he flipped through the menu, searching for what Stan ordered. It cost a lot - way more than what he ordered. But Craig could handle it. He had a lot saved up from when he fixed Token’s laptop. If that bastard thought he couldn’t afford food in the higher price range, he could think the fuck again. Craig’s eyes scanned through the list of main courses; he’d fucking show him.

Tweek began to order. “Hi, can I get-”

“Uh, hang on for a second, honey. Yeah, excuse me- I’ll have the Beef Wellington instead, please,” Craig said, voice a bit louder. That way, that fucking asshat could get an earful of how he had just ordered the most expensive dish on the menu.

Stan’s brow furrowed as he flipped through the menu to look for the price of what Craig just ordered. Upon seeing it, his eyes widened before he turned to glare at Craig. Defeat was a good look on him, Craig decided as he gave him a blank stare back like it was nothing, just to make him angrier. Craig looked back at Tweek, satisfied with his triumph. Tweek ordered his meal, pronunciation perfect- or maybe that was just because everything sounded perfect to Craig if Tweek was saying it. The waiter left with their menus, leaving them alone with each other.

“Gh, is there a way we could sit next to each other instead of across? You’re so far away!” Tweek whined, sticking his bottom lip out. Craig’s chest tightened. Jesus christ, he was cute. Craig could hardly take it sometimes.

“Sorry, babe. That’s just how a table for 2 works,” Craig said sympathetically.

“Fine,” Tweek huffed. His tone shifted to something more amused. “Hey, was Stan trying to start with you again? I saw him looking at you all nasty.”

“Ha, yeah. But don’t worry, I got it,” Craig said proudly.

“Is that-”

A vibration from Craig’s pocket interrupted them. He ignored it, not caring who it was because he wasn’t going to let a call disrupt his big date. But then he remembered with a jolt that he had scheduled someone to deliver Tweek’s gift. Quickly, he fished his phone out of his coat pocket and answered it. “Hello? Yeah, okay, okay. I’ll be right out.”

Craig put down the phone and got up from his seat. “Sorry, babe, I’ll be right back. I have to go get something outside. Is that okay?”

“Um...sure?” Tweek replied. Craig could tell he was curious, but he’d see soon enough. He pecked the top of his head briefly before making his way out to exit the restaurant.

Once he retrieved it- a big bouquet of flowers made up of reds and pinks and whites that cost a pretty penny- he was a little nervous as he carried it back inside. Fuck, he hoped Tweek wouldn’t hate it. He could feel some of the customers in the restaurant were turning to look at him as he made his way back to their table. Craig felt a little uneasy. He never liked eyes on him like this, especially not when he was out on a date. But the face Tweek made when he saw Craig holding the flowers made Craig’s heart swell. He _didn’t_ hate it. Okay. _Thank god_.

Tweek’s mouth hung open at the sight of him, and as Craig got closer, it was replaced with a wide smile- the kind he made when he was bursting at the seams with joy. The kind that Craig would look back at at night when he was laying in bed and grin to himself like an idiot.

Craig stopped right beside him, holding out the flowers. “Here, honey, these are for you.”

Tweek looked up at him, green eyes brimming with love as he took the bouquet with trembling fingers. He sounded out of breath when he spoke. “Craig…”

Craig sat back down. He sighed and began nervously. “Um. I know I always make fun of how overdone flowers are as gifts but...every year on Valentine’s day, I see the way you look at the people who get them a-and I thought that maybe, you know...uh. Maybe you wanted that too.”

He should have figured it out earlier, really. Tweek had always been a romantic, a big fan of love stories and occasionally even making a few cheesy gestures like putting together mixtapes for Craig, writing short love notes and baking him assorted heart shaped pastries and cookies. So of course it would make sense that he’d love a big gesture like this, giving him flowers in front of all these people. Something straight out of the romance he liked to watch. Craig was never the kind of person to present grand, sweeping displays of romance like this but for Tweek, he’d do it. Seeing that face light up like that was more than worth it.

Craig heard a loud, pissed off sounding exhale from beside him. Like a bull snorting. He knew it was Stan. Stan probably couldn’t take it that Craig’s date was turning out way better than his. But all Craig’s thoughts of his rival withered away once he saw the way Tweek looked up at him with his pretty emerald eyes. His face and the very tips of his ears were red. The pure emotion on his face made Craig glad he was sitting for this.

“I-I _love_ them, Craig. I know you think flowers are, _gh_ , cliche a-and stupid and stuff, but...it means a lot to me that you got them for me anyway. Thank you,” Tweek said, voice soft in the way it always got when he was emotional.

“Hey. It’s not stupid if it makes you happy,” Craig said, taking one of Tweek’s hands in his and brushing his lips to the back of it.

Craig didn’t know what to do with all the love he felt going on inside him. What he did know was that he wanted to kiss his boyfriend. He guessed Tweek had the same idea because he leant in over the table at the same time Craig did, causing them to bump their foreheads together.

“Ow!” Tweek exclaimed before they both let out short laughs at what happened. Craig leaned in further to press his lips against his boyfriend’s, fireworks going off in his head. Each and every time he kissed him, he was convinced that that was what he was born to do. Craig stole a quick glance at Stan, who still looked pretty bitter.

Tweek pulled away and set down the bouquet on the floor beside him. “I have something for you too!”

“Really? What is it?” Craig asked, intrigued. Honestly, it could be a piece of hay or something and he’d still love it. But knowing his boyfriend’s gift giving skills, it was probably gonna be something big. Tweek reached into a pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled out a small black box. He opened it and handed the content to Craig.

“It’s, um, the phase the moon was in when you...when you first told me you loved me,” Tweek explained, color creeping up on his cheeks.

The necklace was beautiful. It had a simple silver chain, although the lightning indoors was making it appear a little more golden. The pendant was of a waxing gibbous moon, exactly like the one that shone down on them the very night Tweek mentioned. Craig’s chest swelled with affection at the memory. Up until then, it’d always been Tweek saying he loved him, to which Craig would only respond with a red, embarrassed face. He wasn’t used to hearing words that intimate from anyone, not even from his parents. He wasn’t used to telling people he loved them either. Hell, he wasn’t used to showing affection towards anyone at all. It was an important night for the both of them. Craig could still vividly remember the way the starlight reflected on Tweek’s eyes. Unreal.

“I-I...it’s perfect,” Craig said, heavy with emotion like it almost always never was. “I love you so much.”

Tweek smiled, said it back, his voice still soft at the edges. And Craig fell even deeper in love.

— — —

When Craig checked his Instagram the morning after their date, he saw that his picture had way more likes than Stan’s. Huh. He guessed he won that one.

— — —

The rest of the week at school Stan and Craig spent pissing each other off.

It wasn’t even that bad at first. The first couple of days it was only things like who could get up the rope faster in P.E or they’d compare scores on pop quizzes in classes they had together. But it was getting to be ridiculous. Pretty soon, it got to be things like who could pee longer when they happened to be in the bathroom at the same time, or who could stuff their face at lunch faster. It got more and more heated for pettier and pettier things and neither of them showed signs of giving up.

The last bell had just rung and Craig was putting his stuff back into his locker, talking to his boyfriend like always at this time of day. He was in a pretty chipper mood since he beat Stan today at who could belch the loudest after drinking a whole can of soda. Right now, Stan was hanging out by his locker which, unfortunately for Craig, was only three lockers away from his.

“...And then I had to make his order again because he said his drink didn’t taste right!” Tweek finished.

“What? But you made his drink exactly how he ordered it,” Craig replied incredulously, rearranging the books in his locker.

“I know! And I had to give it to him for free!” Tweek groaned, back against the locker beside Craig’s. “Gh, I wouldn’t have taken that shit if my dad weren’t there to tell me to just give him what he wanted! Gah!”

“Next time he does that and your dad’s there, call me. I’ll kick his ass,” Craig offered as he closed his locker and slung his backpack on. Tweek chuckled, shoulders shaking a little.

“But Craig, violence is ‘bad for business,’” Tweek referenced his father.

Craig rolled his eyes. “Like your dad being at the shop and repelling customers with _that_ face isn’t ‘bad for business.’”

Tweek laughed, high and bubbly and covering his mouth to stifle how loud it was. Craig beamed fondly at him before Tweek playfully hit his arm. “ _Craig_!”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Craig said. "You don't look like him at all, don't worry. You just look like you."

Craig leant in and kissed the corner of Tweek's mouth softly and Tweek let out a short, breathy laugh. “I love you.”

Craig smiled fondly. He would never, ever get tired of hearing that. “I love you, babe.”

Just then, he heard the unwelcome sound of Stan’s voice. “Hey Wendy, I love you so much.”

Fucking really? Was he really doing that right now? If he thought he could win this one, he had another thing coming. It was one thing to challenge him on the petty little things they’d been fighting over so far, but _this_? Really? Every other day when Craig would see Stan and Wendy together, they’d be pissing each other off. And now here Stan was, trying to convince him he loved Wendy more than Craig loved Tweek. It was funny he thought he could go up against him on this. Craig didn’t even need to say anything back to counter that. All he did was laugh.

This reaction practically made steam come out of Stan’s ears.

“Fuck you, Tucker! I’m getting me and Wendy promise rings! You and Tweek don’t have that!” Stan announced. Wendy looked at Stan with eyes wide in surprise at the sudden announcement. Craig fucking bet she was surprised. A few kids in the hall started looking at them, intrigued at the loud exchange.

“Promise rings? Ha. Tweek and I don’t need promise rings. Of course we’re getting married; we don’t need fucking rings to know that. It’s just a given,” Craig replied, rolling his eyes.

Stan raised his voice. “Yeah, well-”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Wendy fumed. They all turned their attention to her. She took both Stan and Craig by the ear, grip hard, and dragged them in front of a classroom that looked empty. She let go of them and opened the door to the classroom.

“Both of you are going to stay in this room until you decide to stop! Both of you are acting like children!” Wendy said. Under different circumstances, Craig wouldn’t have followed. No one was allowed to tell him what to do. But if Craig were to be honest, Wendy looked downright scary and he’d be absolutely insane to defy her. He and Stan complied, entering the empty classroom before Wendy shut the door behind them and leaned with her back against it and sighed.

“...Wendy?” Tweek said hesitantly. He could tell it wasn’t just the whole Stan and Craig situation that was bothering her. There was something else and Tweek wanted to get to the bottom of it and help. But from experience, he knew that sometimes, Wendy wanted to be left alone when she was distressed. If this was one of those times? He didn’t know. ”Are you okay?”

“Tweek,” Wendy started, looking down towards the floor to avert her gaze from him. “You’re really lucky you’re with Craig.”

Tweek sighed internally. It seemed like she did feel like talking. Good. That was good. He wanted to help. “Wendy, what’s wrong?”

“I just…” she sighed, combing a hand through her hair. “...It’s Stan.”

Tweek knew it. It didn’t take much to sense that. “What about him?”

“Well, we’ve been fighting a lot lately.”

“Again? Why?” Tweek asked. Stan and Wendy’s relationship had always been a little rocky. But this time seemed different.

“I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to talk to him and spend time with him since schoolwork and club stuff’s been piling up but...I don’t know. He hasn’t been giving any effort back. He _hasn’t been_ for a while, actually,” Wendy explained quietly. “Did you know that a while ago in the hallway was the first time in 4 months he told me he loved me? And he only said it because he and Craig had that _stupid_ competitive thing going on.”

Wendy shook her head and sighed, broken. “...It hurts.”

Tweek’s face fell further. He wished he could fix it. He really did. “Have you talked to him about it?”

“Yeah, I’ve...tried. He’s going through some stuff. He won’t tell me but I _know_ he is. It’s frustrating because he says he’s _fine_ when he isn’t. He’s been lashing out, like he’s been recently with Craig and I don’t know what his _problem_ is,” Wendy answered, frustrated. “I love him a lot. And despite what he said a while ago, I’m not sure if he feels the same for me. But I’m hoping he does. I-I have some hope. What do you think?”

Tweek frowned. If someone really loved you, they’d be willing to spend all the time and exert all the effort in the world into making you happy- into seeing you smile and laugh. That’s how he was with Craig. And that’s how Craig was with him. And that’s how it had been for them for several years. If Stan wasn’t putting in effort anymore, it could only mean one thing.

It was going to be hard to tell Wendy this, but she needed to hear it from someone. “Wendy...I think-”

A knock from inside the classroom startled them. It was the signal that the two were good to come out. Wendy gave took a breath to regain her composure and opened the door to reveal Craig and Stan, both looking calmer than they were when they were dragged in.

“Now are you guys good? Are you ready to stop acting like children?” Wendy asked, still not completely collected.

“You know, Wends,” Stan said. “During our time in there together I’ve learned that Craig’s a pretty cool guy after all.”

“Yeah. All this time competing with each other taught me that we actually have a lot in common,” Craig said. The tone in his voice was one that Tweek hadn’t heard in a few months. It was the tone he used when his mom would catch him fighting with his sister and he wanted to convince her they were all good. Even if they weren’t.

“We’re gonna stop trying to one-up each other,” Stan said, putting a hand on Craig’s shoulder. “I’ve learned to just be happy for Craig and his achievements. I don’t always have to prove I’m better.”

“There we go! I’m proud of you guys,” Wendy exclaimed, satisfied with the result. Tweek felt Craig grab his hand, grip a little tighter than usual.

“Well. See you tomorrow... _Stan_. Wendy,” Craig deadpanned.

“Um, bye, Wendy. I’ll text you, alright?” Tweek called out, catching a short nod from Wendy before Craig dragged him away.

— — —

Tweek doesn’t say anything about it when an hour later at Craig’s house, he sees a text from Stan buzz on Craig’s phone saying: “ur acting was shit tucker i was way more believable”

He only picks up his own phone and opens up his texts with Wendy.

**Author's Note:**

> Sup y'all thanks for reading! Also listen- if this is lowkey terrible I'm sorry but I'm so tired of looking at this and editing it I can't be assed I didn't even do a full final skim of it it's been sitting in my docs for entire months and I just can't anymore 
> 
> But ye a h leave a comment letting me know what you think about this fic if you're into that! 
> 
> Also eyy follow me on tumblr: http://preciadology.tumblr.com


End file.
